Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Pop Culture and Band Names: Movie edition

Bands sometimes get inspiration from a variety of sources, and this is evident in their names as well. As a pop culture observer, finding a band that takes its name from a movie or television show makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, because it is almost as if the band and their audience is sharing an inside joke.

Off the top of my head, Sweep the Leg Johnny from The Karate Kid or Save Ferris from Ferris Bueller's Day Off naturally come to mind for this sort of naming.

I thought it would be fun to think up band names along the same lines... not that I will ever be in a band or anything (which everyone out there should thank their lucky stars for).

For this, little exercise, I've decided to stick to movies... at some point in the future, I may revisit this topic just using a specific genre of television programming. And the fictional/fake band names in movies are out of bounds.

Here are just a few names that popped into my head in the past hour or so (aside from the first one, which is the whole reason I am writing this entry):

New Style American Girlfriend from Sixteen Candles

Fhloston Paradise from The Fifth Element

We Ate Sand and Howdy Kurt from Raising Arizona

I Killed Your Master, Blood-spattered Angel and Pussy Wagon from Kill Bill

Friendo from No Country From Old Men

Almost any gang name from The Warriors (The Gramercy Riffs, The Turnbull A.C.'s, The Lizzies, The Baseball Furies etc).

Filthy Nasty Things, The Chokey and The Trunchbull from Matilda

Precinct 13 from Assault on Precinct 13 (I was going to say "Napoleon Wilson" as well, but it turns out there is a band called that in Britain.

The Crusty Jugglers from Hot Fuzz

One Bad Stud from Streets of Fire

So, are there any movie quotes/names that you think would make awesome band names?

3 comments:

Arjan said...

hmm gotta think on this one but I'm sure Starwars could provide a hell of a lot of names.

Something with 'the force' ..
Or from James Bond: shaken not stirred. Or '(No)I want you to die'

Batman: the dark knights (although maybe a bit farfetched, as is 'the jokers'..)

I'll try and get back on this one.

Arjan said...

oh btw..one of the coolest band names I came across till now (real one) is 'Death by kite', haven't checked their music and don't know how they came up with their name, but now I really want to check.

SamuraiFrog said...

Not a movie reference, but I've always wanted to see a band called The Electric Twangers. In the classic video for "We're Not Gonna Take It," Mark Metcalfe derides his son for spending time "playing that electric twanger."